I would like to emphasize this to all my readers, if you really want to kick the habit of unhealthy eating, you must embark on a lifestyle change. You will need motivation and determination to change a habit, if you want to learn how to change a habit, my friend Bryan has written an article on how to break a habit. Is fast food addictive? Yes, it is addictive. Scientists have claimed that hamburgers and fries can be just as addictive as heroin. Researchers in the US have found evidence to suggest that people may become overly dependent on the sugar and fat in fast food.

Evidence? Dr. John Hoebel and his colleagues have based their theory on a study of rats. Rats that were fed a diet containing 25% sugar entered a state of anxiety when the sugar was removed. Its symptoms included chattering teeth and tremors, similar to those seen in people who abstain from nicotine or morphine, according to the researchers.

What does this mean? High-fat foods stimulate opiates or “pleasure chemicals” in the brain, which also means that some people may become overly dependent on sweet or fatty foods.

The Science Behind Why Fast Food Is Addictive: Researchers who have been studying the biological effects of fast food are discovering that it can trigger hormonal changes in the body that can make eating more difficult to control. Fast foods offer almost the recommended daily intake of calories and fat in a single meal. As people gain weight, they become more resistant to the hormone leptin, which is strongly related to weight and appetite, and a brain peptide called galanin that stimulates eating.

“Your brain loses its ability to respond to these hormones as you increase body fat,” Professor Michael Schwartz, an endocrinologist at the University of Washington in Seattle, told the journal.

Animal studies by Associate Professor Sarah Leibowitz of Rockefeller University in New York have also shown that young rats fed a high-fat diet early in life became obese adults.

What can / should you do to overcome this? I will answer this with just 3 simple words, Exercise, Motivation and Discipline. You’ve created a bad habit by indulging in fast food, being lazy, and always giving in to your cravings. What you need here is not a world-class fitness instructor, what you need is a wake-up call. You are destroying yourself in more ways than one, the battle is now raging within you. I can only do this by telling you what you can and cannot do, the rest must be done by yourself.

Exercise: Get some form of cardiovascular activity at least twice a week. Running through your urbanization will be a good start. If you don’t have time, try the 12-minute-a-day method. It is very important to increase your physical activity as this will help you lose weight.

Motivation: Everyone needs motivation, so do you! Find your source of motivation, it can come from yourself, a friend or even your idol. Everything is fine, as long as it motivates you towards your goal. One method I can suggest is to “hang a rubber band around your wrist. When you think about eating fast food, stick with it. ”Bryan has also written a very informative article on how to motivate ourselves. [http://www.figurelicious.com/articles/motivation/losing-motivation-and-how-overcome-it] and I highly recommend that you read this once you are done with this article.

Habit: you must change your habit [http://www.figurelicious.com/articles/motivation/new-healthier-habit-30-days]. Instead of eating fast food 4 times a week, be sure to gradually reduce the number of times you eat fast food each week until you can finally kick the habit. It takes effort and discipline to be able to do this. Try eating fruits or other healthy snacks too the next time you have a craving! It can help you fight those hunger pangs.

Conclusion: I hope you remember what I have mentioned, exercise, motivation and discipline. Ultimately, you are helping yourself, so if you cheat, you are only cheating yourself. To all of you who read this article and want to kick your fast food habit, I wish you all the best and remember to stay in the picture of the spirit.

Reference: http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s773973.htm